The Columbia Amateur Radio Club is now a Weather-Ready Nation (WRN) Ambassador.
The Columbia Amateur Radio Club is excited to collaborate with NOAA/NWS to help strengthen our nation’s readiness against extreme weather, water, and climate events. If you would like more information, please visit the Weather-Ready Nation Ambassador Frequently Asked Questions. And if you need any additional information, email WRN anytime at [email protected]. You can also find WRN on X (previously Twitter) @WRNAmbassadors.
The Columbia Amateur Radio Club (CARC) is thrilled to invite amateur radio enthusiasts, hobbyists, and collectors to our Annual Swapfest in beautiful Columbia, South Carolina! This year’s event promises to be bigger and better than ever, offering a fantastic opportunity to buy, sell, and trade amateur radio gear, meet fellow hams, and participate in the vibrant community of amateur radio operators. Please note the traffic pattern in the image above, and note that the parking lot is divided into two sections: visitors and sellers/vendors. The event will open to the public at 8:00 am, and the club set up is from 7:00 am to 8:00 am. THIS IS A GUIDED EVENT. PLEASE FOLLOW THE INSTRUCTIONS IN THE PARKING LOT.
Event Details:
Event Name: Columbia Amateur Radio Club Swapfest
Date: Saturday, April 26, 2025
Time: 8:00 AM – 1:00 PM
Location: North Trenholm Baptist Church, 6515 N. Trenholm Road, Columbia, SC
Admission: FREE. See the Important Information section for vendor/seller details.
Amateur radio operators, enthusiasts, and tech lovers, it’s time to mark your calendars for the ARRL Digital Contest, an exciting event hosted by the American Radio Relay League (ARRL). Whether you’re a seasoned digital mode operator or a newcomer eager to dive into digital communications, this contest offers a unique opportunity to showcase your skills, connect with operators worldwide, and earn recognition in the ham radio community.
What Is the ARRL Digital Contest?
The ARRL Digital Contest is an annual competition designed to encourage the use of digital modes in amateur radio. Digital communication methods, including popular modes like FT8, PSK31, RTTY, and more, have become vital in ham radio. They allow operators to make contacts with minimal power, even under challenging propagation conditions, and the contest provides a platform for enthusiasts to challenge themselves and improve their digital mode proficiency.
Participants in the contest are tasked with making as many valid contacts as possible with other operators using digital modes, which can include short-range local exchanges and long-distance contacts across continents. The event is a great way to engage with a global community, exchange QSO information, and compete for awards and recognition.
On May 13th, the Columbia Amateur Radio Club will host its Spring Swapfest at the South Carolina Military Museum at 1 National Guard Rd, Columbia SC 29201. Gates open at 10 AM and Close at 4 PM. CARC Swapfest is free for those who want to buy, trade, and sell Ham Radio gear. For more information visit https://www.w4cae.com
This will be a bring your own table, tent or sell from your trunk, there will be lots of buying, selling, and trading, don’t miss this fantastic opportunity. For more information contact Jim W4JLP at [email protected]
Permanent link to this article: https://w4cae.com/carc-spring-swapfest/
If you are interested in WWII and South Carolina history you will probably enjoy this Sunday afternoon April 23, from 1 – 5 PM. Join us for a day of Radio to commemorate The Doolittle Raiders. The Columbia Big Band will be playing the music of the 40s. Lots of displays, even a HAM Radio operator passing messages to civilians around the country and the world, just like in 1942. At 4:00 PM, a special presentation on how South Carolina’s own helped the Raiders succeed, and later find the B-25 in Lake Murray. Admission is FREE.
Columbia Amateur Radio Club with be operating at the 81st Commemoration of The Doolittle Raid Sunday, April 23, 2023. We are looking for volunteers to help with setup, talking with visitors, handling QSOs, (Man the Radio), and logging. We will be arriving at 11:30 with plans to be on the air before 1:00 pm. All are welcome to stop by, we could use your help!
Permanent link to this article: https://w4cae.com/81st-commemoration-of-the-doolittle-raid/
Greetings all! Today we finally got outside after all of the rains cleared. Tedd K4TLC and I decided to set up his Icom 705 and do a little testing with some new antennas; we tested the Buddipole (dipole) and a Wolfe River Coil. The band conditions were amazing. Using just 10 watts of power on 20 meters we made phone contact with Viense Italy and got a pretty good signal report of 5,5, not bad for the gear tested. Next, we added a Xiegu XPA125 100-watt amp to the mix, this little amp is truly amazing, it’s an amp and antenna tuner in one. Well, adjusting the 705 power so as not to overload the amp, we settled on about 50 watts of output power and tried our luck on 20 meters.
After a few minutes of searching the band, we heard a QSO between NY and Australia. We parked there listening to their rag chew about propagation. The Australian station was describing his setup and the direction of his antenna, his antenna was facing the long path to our area. The two continued to talk and were wondering about others who could hear them, so we gave it a try. We called out W4JLP, and wahla! The Australian station heard us, at first, we were weak but called out again to reaffirm the call sign, and like magic, the band opened up and we had a great QSO with VK3CWB and NE2O.
Truly a great time, we will be testing more gear and chasing POTA the rest of the week. Oh, I also did a little CW with the PrepComm MMX Tri-Band CW Transceiver/Decoder. Made several POTA contacts on 20 and 40 Meters using the Wolfe River Coil antenna.
Permanent link to this article: https://w4cae.com/when-the-bands-conditions-are-right-wow/
Severe weather season is here. Are you ready? Join us at 8 pm tomorrow for the Midlands SKYWARN Monthly virtual meeting, and let’s review. There will be a number of announcements for everyone, and hope you are able to join us at 8 pm.
Greetings all! Gary K4HGA and Mark KN4KRZ are looking for volunteers to assist with Walk MS course monitoring Saturday, April 22, 2023. Walk MS event is an easy short outing, making it a great way to enjoy the spring weather and test your HTs and portable VHF/UHF radios. Event details are below, again to join us please email Gary or Mark and let them know you are going to attend. Also, if you are planning to attend, make sure to join event calls scheduled in the club calendar.
This Saturday, March 25th, we had a fantastic session, we had about 12 testing and just as many grading. I want to thank all of the supporting HAMS from all over, your support makes our VE sessions a tremendous success. Yes, looks like too many VEs, we actually had several first-time VEs and those who wanted to see what VE is about. For all of those who took a test, we all hope to hear you on the air soon. Congratulations to you all, job well done. As a reminder CARC will be hosting our Get Radio Active Class on April 15, 10 am – 1 pm, any and all HAMS are welcome to join. More information can be found in the Club Calendar. Get Radio Active Contact: Gary K4HGA at [email protected]
Permanent link to this article: https://w4cae.com/march-ve-session-fantastic-turnout-and-support/
Greetings all! April meeting will feature Richard KQ4AMK presenting alternative power solutions highlighting Off-Grid Power and Communications for hams, this should be a very informative presentation. Do you have something you like to share/demonstrate, bring it! Let’s see what you are working on.
Topics are but are not limited to:
Types of emergencies.- Examples
Preparedness – List to pass out. ON-GRID / OFF-GRID
Food, water, power, meds, heat, communications, cooking, first aid …etc.
Emergency Solar Generators
Water Purification
Emergency Radio- Weather / News
Security
Emergency Communications: The Internet is out and cell phones do not work. THEN WHAT?
Meeting ID: 827 2154 3512 Passcode: 326310 One tap mobile +13092053325,,82721543512#,,,,*326310# US +13126266799,,82721543512#,,,,*326310# US (Chicago)
